Saints hire Michigan State’s offensive coordinator as RB coach

Michigan State’s offensive coordinator has left East Lansing for New Orleans.

The Saints have announced that Dan Roushar, formerly offensive coordinator at Michigan State, has been hired as running backs coach in New Orleans.

“The New Orleans Saints and Michigan State are built on similar models, with a focus on character and people,” Roushar said in a statement, via our friends at CFT. “New Orleans has won a Super Bowl, and over the last five years, the Saints have been one of the winningest organizations in the NFL. I’ve had an opportunity to work for Mark Dantonio – in my opinion, the best college football coach in America – for the last eight years, including the last six seasons at Michigan State. Now, I have an opportunity to work for arguably the best coach in the NFL, in Sean Payton. Professionally, this is an opportunity I simply couldn’t pass up. Now as a running backs coach, I have the chance to learn the interworking of the NFL.”

In New Orleans, Roushar will work with perhaps the deepest group of running backs in the league, with Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles, Mark Ingram and Chris Ivory.

The Saints have also announced that Bret Ingalls has been moved from running backs coach to offensive line coach.

The Saints may have the deepest corp of running backs (least drop off in talent between starters/backups) but it is also one of the most mediocre groups of backs. It’s a logjam of backups, much like the Cardinals with their QB situation.

I’d still say the Ravens corps of Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce is the best in the league.